The Weather in Relation to Health. 385 



Luke's and St. Martin's little summers had been very remarkably 

 verified in 1904. The observations also afforded an illustration, 

 in the case of St. Swithin's, of the way in which such weather 

 sayings could be corrected. One naturally wondered, in view of 

 the destructive evidence adduced, how such a saying had ob- 

 tained currency. He thought an explanation might be found in 

 the fact that parties had been somewhat careless as to the way 

 in which they phrased their weather prophecies. What was 

 probably in their minds was that the weather conditions about 

 that time of the year were fairly constant; consequently that if 

 the day were fine there would probably be a continuance of fine 

 weather; if you had bad weather it would probably continue for 

 some time. In "Poor Robin's Almanac" (1697) the St. 

 Swithin legend was thus expressed: — 



" In this month is St Swithin's Day 

 On which if that it rain, they say 

 Full forty days after it will, 

 Or more or less, some rain distil." 



^Ve found the same tradition in Italy with regard to St. Gallo's 

 Day. It was said in Tuscany that the weather on St. Gallo's 

 Day would prevail for forty days. The poet Gay ridiculed such 

 prophecies : — 



"Let not such vulgar tales debase thy mind; 

 Nor Paul nor Swithin rules the clouds and wind." 



There were similar popular sayings regarding other days in 

 July :— 



" If the 1st of July it be rainy weather, 

 It will rain more or less for four weeks together." 



" If it rains on St. Mary's Day (2nd July), it will rain four 

 Aveeks." " If it rains on first dog day (3rd July), it will rain for 

 forty days together." Regarding 4th July: — 



" Bullion's Day, gif ye be fair, 

 For forty days 'twill rain nae mair." 



"If it rains on July loth, it will rain for seven weeks." These 

 all pointed to a general conviction that the weather conditions 

 which were prevalent in the early part of July would probably 

 continue for some time. Dr Ross proceeded to remark on the 

 mortality records of Dumfriesshire for the past year, with a view 

 to indicating how far the experience corresponded with the 

 "seasonal mortalitv curves" of Sir Arthur Mitchell and Dr 



